Turn to Hardline Islam Split Tsarnaev Family

posted by By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
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3 years ago

(NEWSER) – In the years before the Boston Marathon bombing, the Tsarnaev family was ripped apart as eldest son Tamerlan and his mother Zubeidat embraced a stricter version of Islam, the Wall Street Journal finds.

Zubeidat says she pushed Tamerlan to embrace Islam during a period of personal turmoil that included a domestic violence arrest and the murder of a close friend, but her husband was angered by the changes the move brought, especially when Tamerlan decided to give up boxing as un-Islamic. The couple, who split up around two years ago, returned to the Russian republic of Dagestan years ago and both believe their sons are being framed for the attack.